The directive was sent over the weekend in a diplomatic memo signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. We will submit our first plan of action to listed countries until 8am on Wednesday to meet strict new security and identity verification requirements.
Country: Africa controls the list
This memo identifies a wide range of countries currently under review. There are 25 people in Africa, including Egypt, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Nigeria. The Caribbean countries of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St. Kitz and Nevis and St. Lucia are also named. Others include Bhutan, Syria, Tonga and Vanuatu.
If these countries do not meet the benchmark within 60 days, they could face a similar ban as the nation enacted under Trump's executive order earlier this month.
What the note says: gorgeous, fraud, and non-cooperative
The internal cables raise some concerns. According to the memo, “The department has identified 36 countries that may be recommended for a full or partial suspension of entries if they do not meet the benchmarks and requirements established within 60 days.”
Some countries reportedly lack “competent or cooperative central government authorities” to issue reliable identity documents. Others are flagged for not accepting “wide range of government fraud,” deported citizens, or the vast range of visas. The memo cites problematic citizenship programs and “anti-Semitism and anti-American activities in the United States” by citizens of several countries.
Wideer Pattern: Travel is prohibited as a political tool
The expansion followed Trump's June 4 declaration, which banned entry from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran and Somalia, and restricted seven others. During his first term, Trump imposed a controversial travel ban on some Muslim majority countries. The policy was ultimately endorsed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 after legal agenda.
Now, in his second term, Trump has revived and expanded his previous agenda.
“This administration continues to elect African countries and the Caribbean countries in very troublesome ways,” said a democratic parliamentary aide.
Critics from civil rights groups and Democrats argue that the new list shows discriminatory trends that disproportionately target countries in the global southern region. They say it reflects previous bans rooted in xenophobia.
The White House has not formally commented on the proposed expansion, but the president has repeatedly said he intends to ban “larger than before.”
When asked by Reuters and the Washington Post, the State Department declined to discuss the memo, saying it would “reevaluate the policy to ensure that Americans are safe and foreigners adhere to the law.”
What comes next: Countdown to compliance
The nations on the list need to act quickly. They were given 60 days to meet our demands. The first response will be paid within a few days.
Failure to adhere to this could lead to a travel ban that completely bans US entry by reshaping not only the lives of the thousands of people traveling to the United States for their education, work and family, as well as diplomatic relations.
The move also ignites a legal battle in US courts and could bolster global criticism of America's immigration stance under Trump's leadership.
A list of countries facing a possible US travel ban
Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Gambia, Ghana, Malawa, Malawa, Malay Nigeria, St. Kitz and Nevis, St. Lucia, Sao Meume and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tubal, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
